Dark Android – zog.ninjahttps://zomiaofflinegames.com
The Home of Sovryn Tech, Zomia Offline Games, Audio of the Ancients, and the Dark Android ProjectSat, 25 Feb 2017 00:29:22 +0000en-UShourly1https://i1.wp.com/zomiaofflinegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Omega6.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Dark Android – zog.ninjahttps://zomiaofflinegames.com
3232The Home of Sovryn Tech, Zomia Offline Games, Audio of the Ancients, and the Dark Android ProjectDark Android – zog.ninjaThe Home of Sovryn Tech, Zomia Offline Games, Audio of the Ancients, and the Dark Android ProjectDark Android – zog.ninjahttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpghttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/category/dark-android/
88605155Mark Zuckerberg is Insane: He Covers His Webcam and Headphone Jack with Tapehttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160622/
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 18:13:31 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7538I generally hate blog posts that are written about some dumbass tweet. It’s usually a sign that a news organization has nothing important to talk about since they are doing clickbait headlines around something someone said in 140 characters or less. But this tweet that I’m about to share with you is genuine news.

This tweet coming from a guy who works at a startup called Replicator, Chris Olson, who took a good close look at a post from Mark Zuckerberg, celebrating 500 million users of Facebook-owned Instagram, is truly a picture worth a 1000 words (that I won’t be typing in their entirety here). Well, just have a look:

See the very interesting things that Olson points out about Zuck’s laptop (and it is reasonable to assume based on other evidence that this is in fact Zuckerberg’s desk, and his laptop)?

Why yes, as Olson points out, Zuckerberg has tape over his Mac’s webcam AND over his headphone jack! It might even be reasonable to assume he has tape over his other ports on the device. It’s safe to assume that Zuck is concerned with–at least–corporate espionage, among other things I’m sure (perhaps even State-level threats)…but the conversation needs to be had now…are individuals crazy for covering up their webcams?

Years ago, I worked at a tech company, and I would often bring in my personal netbook, of which I did cover the webcam on it with tape. And just less than a decade ago, I can tell you anecdotally, that yes, people thought you were insane for covering your webcam, because they thought I was insane for doing so on my netbook. What could you possibly be worried about, they would ask. Well, now I turn the question on everyone else: What the fuck is Mark Zuckerberg worried about, and can he now be called insane, too (too say nothing of FBI directors covering up their webcams now, too)?! Likely, anyone else doing this sort of stuff would likely be labeled a terrorist. I mean, c’mon, what are you worried about if you have nothing to hide, right? #sarcasm

It is beyond ironic that the creator and owner of Facebook, the single largest privacy-destroying system on the planet, is covering his webcam. And I’m not even going to get into the reasons for covering his headphone jack. Man, somebody wants to make sure they’re secure!

SIDE NOTE: There is the offhand chance that everyone from Zuck to FBI directors covering up their webcams and informing other people to do it could be some kind of campaign to “protect” America from the Russian and Chinese governments (warnings about tech have been made before by politicians on that very subject), but even if that’s the case, let’s stop calling people paranoid or insane to be covering up webcams and various ports.

What’s also interesting is Zuck’s use of Mozilla’s Thunderbird email client. This is a popular email client amongst the tech-savvy, and particularly those that want to use PGP-encrypted emails (due to extensions like Enigmail for Thunderbird that makes setting up PGP a lot easier). But once again, it’s ironic that when you have all of these companies that want you to handle your communications “in the Cloud” and using webpage-based UI’s…what the Hell is Zuck doing using an independent offline solution like Thunderbird? Is HE using PGP perhaps for his communications? Does that mean that perhaps YOU should be using PGP for your emails, too?

In my opinion: Abso-fucking-lutely damnit.

SIDE NOTE: Yes, Facebook does support Tor, and even lets you upload your PGP key to your profile, WhatsApp uses a (questionable) implementation of the Signal protocol…all these nice things, right? As I’ve said before on my podcast, Sovryn Tech, however, having it all jammed in to Facebook is creating a honeypot, it’s not creating actual privacy. Using separate software like Thunderbird…that’s more like it. I mean, does Zuck have his PGP key on his Facebook profile? Nope. Don’t you find that odd?

I could go on and on about what this picture says, but the bottom-line is this: Tech companies are pushing a serious double standard on you. While they want you to be open and freewheeling with your information and privacy, they themselves are (now) obviously doubling-down on the opposite. Covered webcams, covered headphone jacks, (potentially) PGP-encrypted emails through non-Cloud-based email clients…hey, I’ll give it to ol’ Zuck, he’s doing it right. But then, why isn’t he telling you to do it right? The level of privacy he’s personally putting on display inadvertently sends the message: “Do not use Facebook. Do not use Instagram. Do not use Facebook Messenger“, and so on. It really does. Because if things are that bad to where you’re covering headphone jacks, then why the Hell would you risk sending personal information over wide-open platforms like social media?

Hmm…

Carpe lucem!

]]>7538Google Introduces Non-Innovative Device-Specific 2FA to Your Accounthttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160621/
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 06:13:47 +0000http://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7533I love 2-factor authentication. I wish every account I had allowed for its use. 2-factor authentication (or “2FA”) is one of the best ways to keep your accounts secure. Google has long supported that feature, but it was generally through the use of either a code sent via SMS, or using a specific app to generate a 2nd-factor code and then typing it in when you login to Chrome or some Alphabet/Google service (or whatever uses your Google account). But starting today, you can approve account logins from a prompt on your authorized mobile device.

You can add a mobile device to your 2-step login from your account security settings under Sign-in & Security > Signing in to Google > 2-Step Verification. This works on both iOS and Android devices, provided they have a secure lock screen. You need to have the Google search app installed on iOS as well. On Android, this is all handled by Play Services (so, if you have a serious Dark Android setup device that doesn’t have the Google Play Store, you won’t be able to use this…but you probably already knew that, and you already have a solid security implementation in play, anyways).

So when you log in on a new computer or place with your Google account, Google will push an approval prompt to your chosen phone. It’s automatically the default method, and I don’t see any way to demote it if you have it turned on. If you don’t have that phone with you or there’s no data connection, you can click the alternative sign-in link to input a code as usual. If mobile device approval isn’t live for you yet, it should be in the next three days or less.

Do I recommend setting this up? It’s fine. I like codes better because you can create backup codes, and 2FA codes work offline (which I spend as much time offline as possible, personally). But the interesting thing here is that this isn’t a new security feature at all. Sure, it’s new for Google, but it’s not a new idea. Microsoft has been doing this–on Android in particular, I might add–for years with their 2FA Microsoft account app. Years. What took Google so long to catch up to the convenience train on this security feature is beyond me, it’s such a simple feature to implement, and if you’re someone that is “always connected”, as it were, it’s as effective as the 2FA codes you get in an app.

SIDE NOTE: Device-specific security verification will also soon have a contender that can work offline in the future, however (as I understand it), and this is Steve Gibson’s SQRL implementation, which uses a mobile device and QR codes, along with your PC, to replace passwords and deliver are far more secure experience overall. This is technology that I am very excited for and is very close to release.

Again, nothing to get excited about here with Google, and it really just shows how far behind the times the company is. If you haven’t setup 2-factor authentication on your accounts yet…get to it all the same.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7533Ho…ly…Fuck…Meet the KiloCore: A 1000-core Processorhttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160620/
Mon, 20 Jun 2016 20:25:55 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7527You read that title right: The computer scientists at UC Davis have created the world’s first 1,000-core processor, called KiloCore. Containing 621 million transistors, the processor can handle 1.78 trillion instructions per second. Straight up, that’s ridiculous. In a good way, mind you.

Bevan Baas, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Davis, led the team behind the chip architecture:

To the best of our knowledge, it is the world’s first 1,000-processor chip and it is the highest clock-rate processor ever designed in a university.

Each processor can handle tasks independently of other cores in the cluster, which drastically cuts down on energy usage as cores that are not in use are automatically shut off. The cores are fabricated by IBM on a 32nm CMOS node, with average clocks of 1.78GHz. Having a system with several cores running in parallel is useful when crunching through large datasets, as well as “wireless coding/decoding, video processing, encryption, and others.”

The KiloCore is said to be 100 times more efficient than a modern laptop CPU, handling 115 billion instructions per second while using only 0.7W of power. And this brings up the old argument that I’ve made many times on my podcast, Sovryn Tech, and here at the Dark Android Project: It’s really great that people are into having computers in their pockets, but everyone is missing out on taking advantage of the raw power that can be achieved with a desktop.

Hey, I know, 1000-core processors aren’t going be inside of consumer desktops any time soon, but it does make you wonder about all the bullshit we’re fed as far as developments in computer technology when the very people that create those developments (obviously not talking about the folks at UC Davis)–apps, services, etc.–are barely using quad-core computers, or if we’re lucky octa-cores. What a waste. We can make 1000-core machines, but the whole world is stuck in the past, effectively, because everyone is obsessed with “mobile this” and “mobile that” (and even when it comes to mobile, maybe Microsoft is the only company doing anything forward-thinking, ie: Continuum, liquid-cooled phones).

Anyway, at least we do now technically have a 1000-core processor out there. Perhaps a Cyrix for a new generation can come in and disrupt AMD, ARM, and Intel by delivering death on silicon to the masses…the KiloCore! Don’t worry, I now that’s not happening, but I’m still waiting for that computer that can finally play Crysis the way it was meant to be.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7527Jide and Remix OS Are Getting Serious with New Hardwarehttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160616/
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 17:09:37 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7506Jide’s Remix OS, the open-source version of Android that’s been reconfigured into a desktop-style operating system (and which I’ve written about at the Dark Android Project before), seems to be on a real roll, as late. While it has generally released rather underwhelming hardware to accompany Remix OS, Jide has also done right by releasing Remix OS for PC’s, much to my enjoyment.

Now with the release of Remix OS 3.0 (based on Android Marshmallow), they are also releasing some new hardware, including an Android-based laptop through a strategic partnership with Acer, and more full-on desktops through AOC.

SIDE NOTE: Chih-Wei Huang, one of the founders of the Android x86 project, has joined the Jide company to head up their x86 technology efforts. How ’bout that.

But the star of the show is the most powerful of hardware bunch: The Remix Pro, the second-gen version of the Remix OS tablet. This time around it’s using some fairly respectable hardware, including a 12-inch 2160×1440 screen, a Snapdragon 652 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage space, and a MicroSD card slot. The tablet’s cameras aren’t anything to write home about at 8MP and 5MP on the rear and front, respectively, and the 9000mAh battery won’t turn any heads, though the design is fairly slim at just 6.9mm. Like the original, the Remix Pro has a Surface-style combined cover and keyboard, presumably sold separately.

There’s a new version of the Remix desktop PC, which was a very unimpressive effort, but also its specifications aren’t exactly staggering. The box will be equipped with a Rockchip 2268 CPU, either 1GB or 2GB of RAM, and just 8 or 16GB of storage space, plus whatever you can fit in the MicroSD card slot. The new version will include Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and HDMI support for displays of up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Jide says that the updated Remix box is intended specifically for OEMs, so it might be seen under several different brand names when it comes to market. There is the chance that unlike every other device that Jide has announced that this one will have the Google Play Store pre-installed, which the previous Remix desktop was the only device that was allowed for by Alphabet/Google, as well.

What about that partnership with Acer, though? Well, a Remix-powered laptop, the ES1-131 is also on the way. It’s an Intel-based 11.6-inch laptop using the Celeron architecture, so it’s no powerhouse, but it could be an interesting alternative to a Chromebook or low-powered Windows machine. The laptop uses a 1.6GHz x64 quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB conventional hard drive, and a 1366×768 screen panel.

Add to that another partnership with infamous monitor manufacturer, AOC, they announced more AOC models in its Remix-powered Mars line of all-in-one PCs (with all the components housed in a beefy monitor). In addition to the 24-inch version of the Mars all-in-one that was announced last month, a 22-inch version and a massive 32-inch version will also be made available. All three of them use an Amlogic s905 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 64GB of storage, and 1080p displays at all sizes.

All of the above products are missing precise release dates and prices, and unfortunately, they’re all limited to the Chinese market for now. Because of this (and other reasons), this likely means they won’t come with access to Google apps or the Google Play Store. Interestingly, it does appear that Mozilla and Microsoft will be filling in the software gap with the Firefox browser, and Microsoft’s complete suite of apps that can do practically anything that Google’s pre-installed apps can do (Google Play Services can be side-loaded, however). Jide would very much like to sell them internationally, and still may, but right now that’s not happening.

I love the idea of desktop-centered Android devices, and it’s the reason I’ve long been excited about Remix OS. Android gaming aside (which is part of the reason Remix OS is so popular), the ease of accessibility to great privacy and security apps (like ones from The Guardian Project and the Tor Project) makes all of this very appealing to get everyone–even the not so tech-savvy–onboard with the growing crypto-economy that I’m only happy to support. Admittedly, however, things like Remix OS may become moot when put in the light of Google’s announcement that the Google Play Store and its massive library of Android apps are going to be available on Chromebooks in the near future.

]]>7506Apple’s WWDC 2016: What It All Really Sayshttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160613/
Mon, 13 Jun 2016 19:46:53 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7488Today was what, years ago, used to be one of the most exciting times of the year: Apple’s World Wide Developer Conferece 2016, or WWDC. Years ago, this used to be the event where new hardware would get announced, and new software would also take center stage. It was “must see” streamed video (often through the Quicktime client, whether you were using a Mac or Windows machine), and it was a rather magical thing.

Not anymore.

Not to say it was “bad”, there were actually a few things to like about it, but other than some new operating system versions like iOS 10, improvements in WatchOS, and the newly-minted (though I already started using it on Sovryn Tech and on this blog) macOS–no more OS X–announced, with Siri and Swift (the code) getting some new integration and usability…well…there wasn’t really much here to talk about.

That’s sorta what I think is the good thing. The speed at which new devices and new versions of devices are coming has been out of hand for years now. For Apple to not release some new mobile device or mobile hardware iteration at WWDC in 2016 is really a chance to breathe. No doubt there will still be something new come this Fall, but to have such a major event not explicitly sell you something…yeah, that’s a plus. And the refinements they’ve down software-side on their various platforms are welcome. When it comes to software platforms, that’s a sign of much needed maturity and stability. So I’ll give Apple credit there.

SIDE NOTE: Why am I talking about an Apple event at the Dark Android Project? Hey, you gotta keep an eye on the “competition”.

At the same time, however, on the macOS end of devices (again, not mobile), some new hardware was really due. The Mac Pro–Apple’s full dekstop–hasn’t been updated in 3 years! While I like the idea of things lasting a good long while (and Apple’s computers are legendary for how long they can last you), at the same time this says something bothersome to me. Apple doesn’t care about desktop computers, and even if they care about laptops in some way, to quote Alan Kay: “All of your are using ancient technology. We have supercomputers and you’re using ridiculously weak laptops and desktops”. And that’s what bothers me. We can do incredible things with the computing power that exists today, computing power that could be put on your desk, but instead we’re just going smaller, smaller, smaller, and Apple is reinforcing this handicapping of coders and computer enthusiasts today by not offering more powerful machines on a regular basis. And all of this is made much worse since seemingly all “creativity” on computers is supposedly done (if you believe the narrative or take a walk into a Starbucks) on Macs.

Granted, Apple is not required to release supercomputers every year or two, but if Macs are THE (cool) computer to use (which I disagree wholeheartedly…Linux, baby!), and you have your OS locked down and not expandable to (largely) custom hardware, yeah, you’re holding back a lot of advancement, in my opinion. Like Palmer Lucky of Oculus said, “We’d release our Virtual Reality equipment for Mac, if Apple would make a good computer”. And that’s the point. You are absolutely hindered from so many computer advancements when you use a Mac, and Apple still has done nothing to solve it, particularly when they had the opportunity to do so at WWDC. And frankly, unless they release a quantum leap ahead of a computer from what they presently offer, it’s not going to be a computer that’s good enough to take advantage of what’s here and what’s coming in computers.

SIDE NOTE: I’m pleased that Apple has yet to release an “Apple Watch 2”. The smartwatch needs to become a more “timeless” category, in my opinion, than any other digital device. If there isn’t an Apple Watch 2 for a couple more years–unlike my thoughts on desktops–I think that would be a good thing. Not to say they’d wait that long, but kudos for now.

And you can say that Apple waits until they can get these advancements “right”…yeah…maybe, but then it just goes to show that Apple isn’t innovating anymore or creating entirely new markets and categories. It’s a “has been” of a company. Certainly Google’s 2016 I/O event wasn’t innovative either, nor did they technically release any new hardware, either, so it’s not like Apple’s competition is doing any better. If anything, Google is in far worse shape with their confused ecosystem, which fortunately Apple’s ecosystem isn’t.

So while in one vein I’m happy that Apple is refining their platforms and improving what’s already out there, and not ramming new mobile nonsense down are throats to purchase, I’m disappointed by their overall direction and lack of serious consideration on the non-mobile side (yeah, I get it, they don’t make as much money on Mac). Desktops aren’t dead, but they might just be if companies like Apple don’t bring their desktops into the present…let alone the future.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7488BLOCKS Modular Smartwatch: Another Glimpse at the Futurehttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160612/
Sun, 12 Jun 2016 18:37:38 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7484My desire for–and prediction of–the coming “smartwatch revolution” that will take over smartphones entirely is not new to listeners of my tech podcast, Sovryn Tech, or readers here at the Dark Android Project. As I’ve said, I think even Microsoft is getting in on the game way ahead of schedule to hopefully not miss out on the next tech category like they dropped the ball with smartphones (and this is why they changed the name of their mobile strategy from “Windows Phone” to “Windows 10 Mobile”).

The other half of this revolution is “modularity”. While I think this is largely presently a bullshit gimmick when it comes to smartphones (which I’ve already written about extensively), I do think it’s a tech evolution that will come into its own in the mobile space in the coming years.

In the video above, the demonstrator shows off a watch that rolled off of a Chinese assembly line in a near-final form, and according to the company’s press materials, it’s already using Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 2100 SoC especially designed for wearables. BLOCKS is based on a modified version of open source Android, but is not specifically running Android Wear.

The modules demonstrated so far include an extra battery, an LED flashlight, a heart rate monitor, a sensor module with temperature and barometric pressure, and a spacer with a normal watch band clasp. Modules can be plugged into the watch itself or each other in any order, and users can apply regular old watch straps if they so choose. The main body is steel, but modules use plastic casing.

As awesome as the video looks, admittedly the demonstrator doesn’t actually use any of the modules plugged into his watch. The closet thing we get to seeing the modules in operation is the fact that there’s a flashlight link on the powered-up unit. That being the case, it’s hard to recommend it as a pre-order for $330 (with four included modules). While, granted, I’m generally very skeptical of anyone actually shipping a released product from a crowdfund, BLOCKS is apparently scheduled to ship out to backers in October 2016.

SIDE NOTE: I am intrigued by Lenovo’s recent demonstration of a smartphone that can literally wrap around your wrist. While this is presently still in a very early engineering and design phase and not practical at the moment, the very fact that Lenovo is thinking along the lines of “smartphone on your wrist” proves–in my opinion–the fact that companies see the “smartwatch revolution” on the horizon, as well.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it if it does release, and I’m totally onboard with it not using an official version of Android Wear. I’d be pleased if they actually allowed for the installation of the open-source Linux-in-a-smartwatch Asteroid OS, or perhaps just a more open version of Android Wear 2.0.

Either way, the future can be open, on your wrist, and modular. Bring it, baby.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7484Paranoid Android is Back…for the Properly Paranoidhttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160608/
Thu, 09 Jun 2016 01:51:08 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7467I spend a lot of time talking about CyanogenMod and AOSP (and some others) at the Dark Android Project as being alternative operating systems to run on your Android phone (and still run all your apps, of course), but I oft neglect one of the other Android-compatible/reconfigured operating systems: AOSPA…or more commonly known as “Paranoid Android“.

Paranoid Android has been around for years and has been a solid alternative to Google’s version of Android, and it offers perhaps even a greater level of configurability to the OS than CyanogenMod allows. I haven’t brought up Paranoid Android over the past year since there hasn’t been any updates in the same amount of time (this being due to the original developers being hired by OnePlus to develop Oxygen OS). But today, that has changed.Paranoid Android now has an update and the update goes right to Android Marshmallow. But not just a jump up to Marshmallow, they’ve also delivered some new “under the hood” work on Paranoid Android. Here’s part of the list:

More floating window options for apps, including launching floating windows from notifications

On-the-spot controls for pop-ups to enable or disable relevant settings

Live rearranging and removing of Quick Settings tiles

A new gesture engine for launching apps and other settings

Custom visual elements and backgrounds from Hampus Olsson

Not bad. It is officially released today, but here’s the list of devices that it is officially supported on at this time:

Galaxy Nexus

Nexus 4

Nexus 5

Nexus 5X

Nexus 6

Nexus 6P

Nexus 7 2012 and 2013

Nexus 9

Nexus 10

OnePlus One

OnePlus 2

OnePlus X

Oppo Find 5

Oppo Find 7 and Find 7s

Oppo N1

Xperia Z2

Xperia Z2 Tablet

Xperia Z3

Xperia Z3 Compact

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

More devices are sure to come, but this is a pretty good laundry list. Interestingly, the Pixel C isn’t listed here, but many Dark Android recommended tablets and phones are, including the now-defunct Xperia Z line. Oppo and OnePlus also make fair devices, the the ability to throw Android 6.0 on the Nexus 10 and even the Galaxy Nexus is no minor miracle.

There are many things to glean from this latest AOSPA release. One is that if Paranoid Android can release Android 6.0 on a Galaxy Nexus…why isn’t Alphabet/Google still supporting the device? Why are many manufacturers not updating their devices to the latest and greatest? In my opinion? As I’ve said often, these companies need you to buy a new device every 6 months to 2 years so that they can even stay afloat. Is it ethical for company to operate and sell on that model? Sure. Can consumers get pissed off about something that they laid out hundreds of dollars becoming obsolete just because the manufacturer is too lazy to release much needed (at least for security) operating system updates? Damn straight they can get pissed off about it.

And there is much to say about this, I could go on forever. So, hey, if you have any of the above listed devices and you’d like to update to Android 6.0/Marshmallow, give Paranoid Android a go. The devs know what they’re doing, and I love it when people support “antiquated” hardware.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7467Daydream-ready Virtual Reality on the Cheap: The ZTE Axon 7https://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160606/
Mon, 06 Jun 2016 20:45:29 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7457At the Dark Android Project, I’ve talked about the coming advancements in Android-based VR for some time. And during my full review on my tech podcast, Sovryn Tech, I discussed how at Google I/O 2016 that the company now has a new platform for Virtual Reality that they will be baking right into the Android operating system itself, called “Daydream”.

SIDE NOTE: Interestingly, this push is very similar to Microsoft’s recently announced “Windows Holographic”, which is a push to bake “Mixed Reality” (apparently a combination of the ability to present Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality) right into Windows 10. Alphabet/Google is doing the same thing, they’re just doing it with Android.

As described at Google I/O, though, Daydream will not work on any Android phone. In fact, it won’t function with ANY phone that has been released to date. Having a Daydream-ready smartphone isn’t just about having the latest version of Android (Android N, in particular), but it requires various hardware functions, as well. So that fancy shmancy Galaxy S-whatever you just laid out hundreds of dollars on? Nope, it’s not going to work with the new VR hotness, that being Daydream. Sorry.

However, if you can be a little patient, the very first Daydream-ready phone is going to be released in the next month or so, and it’s coming from an unlikely manufacturer: ZTE. Specifically, the soon coming ZTE Axon 7 is the Android phone that will deliver the Daydream goods first. And at a price tag starting at $450…frankly…this is a pretty good phone.Of course, yes, it comes in the now obligatory gold (with other colors available, as well), and at least one of the models of it will be available in the US: The 64GB of storage with 4GB of RAM model. While I’d rather shell out for the much more impressive 128GB of storage and 6 GB (!) of RAM version…I’ll have to get crafty to get my hands on that one in the US (but I think it’s worth it). Let’s have a look at the rest of the specs:

5.5-inch; 2,560×1,440 pixels

5.98×2.95×0.34 in dimensions

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (until N is released)

20-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera

2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 820

3,000mAh (nonremovable) battery

Back cover fingerprint sensor

USB-C

Dual Sim; Daydream-read

It’s a good question as to whether or not any other manufacturers will even release midrange priced Daydream-ready devices at all, so the Axon 7 may be the only choice for a more selective wallet. Alphabet/Google will likely sell a Daydream-ready phone at a fair price (perhaps the Nexus 5X’s successor), and that will be great to have as a reference model, but the opportunity to get a phone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is hard to pass up, and Google likely won’t offer a phone with all of that.

But what about getting that beautiful “stock” version of Android that Nexus devices always have? Well, fortunately (and interestingly), ZTE allows Axon 7 owners to switch between stock Android and their skinned version on the fly. This is a great option that more manufacturers would be wise to consider (though I realize why they don’t, pre-installed app revenues and all).

Let’s be clear, this is NOT a phone that I would recommend for a super-secure Dark Android device, but it is a phone I’d recommend if you want to be on the ground floor of what may be the future platform of Virtual Reality (whether or not a I like it), that being Google’s Android-based Daydream. As I’ve said many times on this blog and on Sovryn Tech, the Virtual Reality (or Mixed Reality, whatever) revolution is either going to happen on mobile, or it isn’t going to happen at all.

Another question is whether or not ZTE will be making their own Daydream headsets and controllers, but I don’t think that question needs answering since ZTE doesn’t really need to. An entire economy is likely going to build around Daydream, and getting third-party peripherals will be the way to go, just as it was with Google Cardboard.

So if you’re looking for a futureproof smartphone, I think the ZTE Axon 7 is definitely the first place to look, especially that international 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM version. Wooo…as we used to say in the old days of gaming, “Now you’re playing with power!”

Carpe lucem!

]]>7457Using the Facebook Mobile Site to Send PM’s? You Won’t Be for Much Longer…https://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160602/
Thu, 02 Jun 2016 19:02:46 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7427One of the tricks I recommended at the Dark Android Project that, if you REALLY still want to use Facebook on your mobile device, the first thing you can try is to use the mobile website. It has tons of advantages:

You don’t have to download the Facebook app which can take up a lot of storage space.

If you don’t use the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store, you could still access Facebook PM’s through your web browser.

Years ago, Facebook removed Messenger from the main app and forced you to download the standalone Facebook Messenger app which has an atrocious amount of permissions, including the permission to make calls and texts for you (dead serious). With the mobile site, it was still “all in one”.

That last one is probably the primary reason many people switched to using the mobile website, and it makes sense. Having to use two apps to do the same thing you do all at once on the desktop site doesn’t make sense, and creates confusion between platforms, and just straight-up inefficiency (the inefficiency point was also recognized by Facebook, and that’s why they added a button in the Facebook app that shortcuts to the Messenger app). The whole situation makes it painfully obvious that Facebook doesn’t care about what people actually want, they want you to use it how and why they want you to use it.

And now they are rubbing that fact in quite a bit more: It’s a good bet that the time is coming where the Facebook mobile site will NOT allow you to use the Messenger tab. They’re effectively already blocking it:I think that’s a portent of what’s to come. That is Facebook telling you that if you’re using the mobile website for Messaging, you’re not going to be able to do that for much longer (granted, this is not set in stone).

First off, let’s understand why–in my opinion–Facebook was allowing for this at all on the mobile website, and it comes down to developing countries. In those markets where lower-end phones and slower data speeds are the norm, a mobile website is far more viable than the very bloated Facebook apps. But this purpose for the mobile site is no longer necessary since Facebook has the “Facebook Lite” app available in those markets in various app stores. With Facebook Lite taking off very well in those parts of the world (it’s technically not available in the USA and some others), the mobile website is no longer necessary.

Second, let’s understand why Facebook made Messenger a separate app, and why they want everyone using it. The reasons for both are the same: Facebook knows that Messenger is the actual future of the company, not Facebook. Considering how Facebook is experiencing what they call “content collapse” (no one’s posting unique things anymore), they are not experiencing a collapse in the use of Private Messaging. When you look at massively successful “social networks” in other parts of the world–WeChat in China, LINE Messenger in Japan and elsewhere (which has almost 1 billion users)–they are nothing like Facebook, but are everything like Facebook Messenger (and let’s be clear, Facebook is copying those other companies, Facebook is not innovating). Messaging apps are the future, and I agree with that assessment. When you consider Dunbar’s Number (the idea that you can only have 15-250 meaningful relationships in your life), getting away from interacting with the entire world that the Facebook News Feed allows for and going towards smaller circles in Messaging and Groups makes sense (and this is also likely why Facebook created a separate Facebook Groups app, too).

Another reason that the mobile website is becoming passe is because of the addition of various bots in Facebook Messenger, as well as aspects of AI, Facebook M assistant, and other things…yes, it does need an entire separate app to take advantage of all the features that Messenger provides (and likely this will also be true for the desktop site in the future, probably why there is a separate Facebook Messenger website). So I get it why they’re doing this, but…

I’m still totally sceeved out by the permissions that Facebook wants on my phone. I’m still pissed off at how much data their apps suck off. And the inefficiency of separating the functions of the platform into apps is ludicrous. And I do worry about the privacy concerns around Facebook Messenger and Facebook in general (though there are reports that Facebook will be adding end-to-end encryption to the Messenger app in the future, but that’s a discussion for another time).

And maybe you are, too, and you still don’t want to install the Facebook Messenger app.

If so, there are a couple of solutions, and neither of them are perfect. The first solution is to use the aforementioned Facebook Messenger separate website on your mobile device, but that site only works if you set the site to “desktop”, which means that unless you’re using a tablet, this is going to be a pain to use on smaller screens. So that’s not really a solution for most.

The second solution is to use the Facebook Lite app. I’ve talked about how to do this before (read about how at this link, please), and the Facebook Lite app does largely solve all of the problems that the mobile website was solving. It’s lightweight, doesn’t have crazy permissions, and it still has private messaging built into it, no separate Messenger app required. There is a trick to getting it installed if you’re within the USA and some other countries, but it is possible to do (though you still need the Google Play Store in the end). There are other “website wrapper” apps (which means they are just apps that emulate the mobile site) which can be found at F-Droid and other app repositories, but likely these will no longer be serviceable for private messaging once the mobile website removes the function entirely. The Facebook Lite app is really the only viable option, in my opinion, outside of using the official Facebook Messenger app.

But there’s always a third option. There’s always the “third way”, and often it’s usually the right one. The third option here is to just delete your Facebook account and never use Facebook again, Messenger or otherwise. Remember, the use of Facebook is still largely voluntary (for now), and I applaud the people that don’t use it.

Bottom line, Facebook is making it increasingly difficult to use their services outside of the way that they want you to (and really, their ways weren’t created for greater security or anything, so it’s not like there’s a particularly good consumer-facing reason why they force these “options” upon you). As a business, fine, they can do that. They can setup their platform however they want. But as I say on my tech podcast, Sovryn Tech, all the time: As a consumer, you don’t have to like it, you don’t have to take it, and you don’t have to use it. There are much better options out there, anyways.

Carpe lucem!

]]>7427The Only Thing That’s Certain in Life is that Google Stuff Doesn’t Last: The Nexus Player Cannedhttps://zomiaofflinegames.com/post20160601/
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:22:08 +0000https://zomiaofflinegames.com/?p=7416I wish I was born about ten years later than I was. I was born in ’81, and being born in ’91 or so would have been better for me. Not that I feel a need to be ten years younger, I just think that if I was born in ’91 or so, I would have no concept of companies caring about the consumer, and I’d have no concept of things and devices being able to last for decades. Take an NES from 1987, or any console from the Gamecube down and you’ll find that many of them–as long as they weren’t kicked around, and even then–can still do exactly what they were meant to do, and you can rock out a good time with little concern.

Or I remember watching TV on a 24″ Zenith monster of a glass-tube television in one of those big wooden cabinets. When I was watching TV on it as a kid, it was already some 30 years old! And I know the family member that is still watching TV on it today. And all of these things will likely keep working. But nothing seems to be built to last like all of that stuff from decades ago, anymore.

Now, the easy argument against what I’m saying is that devices and products today are so complex, you can’t possibly expect something to fail on them more readily. Well, I call bullshit on that notion for a couple of reasons. First off, just about everything comes on a single circuit board today and is so integrated, there’s not much in the way of parts that could actually fail. But the real reason I call bullshit on that idea is something else entirely.

Now the Nexus 9’s contemporary, the Nexus Player (an Android TV device) has also been quietly removed from the Google Store, without a single mention or any kind of Google-branded Android TV replacement. And bear in mind, Android TV was–supposedly–a significant new push by Google to get into the living room.

Not that the Nexus Player was anything to write home about. It had terrible specs, and it’s a wonder that Google even let it go further than the drawing board (though the separately-sold $50 ASUS-built game controller was rather nice). When compared to the 500GB version of NVIDIA’s SHIELD TV (NVIDIA’s Android TV device, and the Nexus Player only had 8GB of storage, by the way), and all of the unique and popular games that are only available on the SHIELD platform, it’s easy to see why the Nexus Player wouldn’t do so well against such heavy duty competition. But superior competition doesn’t stop Alphabet/Google in other markets. Consider, just because Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers make significantly more powerful and superior-in-every-way smartphones to Google’s Nexus smartphones doesn’t mean that Google stops making Nexus phones. So not being a market leader shouldn’t stop Google in the Android TV space. And to not have a new model of some kind available in the Google Store? That just feels like a throwing up of hands and quitting on Android TV, a platform that is barely two years old.

And it all speaks to that original second point I wanted to get to. There’s no reason that the Nexus Player couldn’t last you for years, if not decades (and it may get software updates for some time, still). Yeah, only have 8GB of storage is going to limit how much you could put on it, and a decade from now–with the Cloud hopefully NOT taking over the world–you probably couldn’t fit a single game onto it. I get that. But build-wise, and even software support-wise, it should be fine.

But the Nexus Player won’t be fine. Why? Not because there’s some new flashy thing that you just have to have because reasons…but because of the incessant need for growth…and growth pleases investors. You see, the very dirty and not-so-secret secret in Silicon Valley (a broad term) is that tech companies aren’t interested in giving the consumer what they want, or in giving the consumer any long-lasting value. Tech companies are interested in getting more VC’s and making investors happy if they’re public. That’s all they care about. And the easiest way to show growth to investors and make them happy is by releasing new OS versions and new devices, or laying off entire teams that work on projects (perhaps such as Android TV) that have never had the chance to build the groundswell that a product line needs to be a cult-followed success (the goal–or at least it used to be–of any company).

SIDE NOTE: Let me guess, you’re going to say that since the Nexus Player was such a piece of shit, it’s a good thing that Google stopped selling it? Certainly, that is a good thing, but then why did they release such a piece of shit in the first place? In my opinion, it’s because most of Silicon Valley doesn’t actually produce things that people want, nor do they pay attention to what people want (outside of bullshit metrics that they think matters in their algorithms). These companies think they know better than you what you want…but obviously the piece of hockey puck-like crap that the Nexus Player (and the Nexus Q, remember that?) proves that these companies actually have no idea what people actually want or need. My point being, Google should have known ahead of time that no one wanted this garbage in the first place by doing good ol’ fashioned consumer research (once a lucrative business when companies used to actually care about consumers).

Tech companies don’t give a shit about the consumer anymore. I’d be that most tech companies would be just tickety-boo if you threw away your smartphone every week and bought a new one with supposed “new features”. And it’s sad, because when I worked for tech companies, I remember wanting to build things that are solid as a rock and would last the customer an eon. I would think about the tech that I loved and bought–like say, an Atari 2600–that was still kicking and delivering exactly what I wanted out of it: a good time. But like I said, that attitude seems to have gone the way of the dodo. And Google, with various products and services (most notoriously the Revolv Hub), is the most egregious of the bunch, it seems. I’m to the point that I wouldn’t trust a Google service or buy a Google product for any reasons, since I can imagine in 6 months to 2 years it will be either nonexistent or effectively obsolete.

It’s not, “give the customer value” in business anymore. Now it’s, “get the customer hooked and keep selling iterative products that we could have sold them 10 years ago but we’re out of new ideas so we’ll just add a camera to the front”. It’s insane.

Don’t misunderstand me, “profit” isn’t a dirty word, I agree. But as I always say on my tech podcast Sovryn Tech, “value” isn’t a dirty word either. But words like “value” and phrases like “built to last”, sadly, seem to be a things of the past.